Faucet Valve Core

ABSTRACT

A faucet valve core includes an outer shell, a bottom cover connected with a bottom of the outer shell, a valve stem rotatable and partially mounted in the outer shell. The inner end of the valve stem is connected with a top side of the movable valve plate, a bottom side of the move valve plate is connected with a fixed valve plate. A pair of water channels is conic and is formed through the fixed valve plate and each water channel has a top opening and a bottom opening that is larger than the top opening. Given the faucet valve core, water flow rate can be increased while the size of the entire faucet valve core can be reduced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a faucet valve core and, moreparticularly, to a faucet valve core for a water purifier faucet.

2. Description of the Related Art

A fixed valve plate of a ceramic valve core in the current market has awater inlet and a water outlet. As the water inlet and water outlet havea same opening size, a stable flow rate can thus be ensured. To meet thedemand for higher flow rate, the opening of the water inlet and wateroutlet must be enlarged and so must the size of the ceramic valve core.Moreover, also because water enters the ceramic valve core through aside surface and exits the valve core from a bottom surface thereof, thevolume of the valve core inevitably increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the problems and drawbacks of the prior art, the objective ofthe present invention is to provides a faucet valve core having a higherflow rate and a reduced total size. To achieve the foregoing objective,the faucet valve core includes an outer shell, a bottom cover, a valvestem, a movable valve plate, a fixed valve, and a collar seal.

The bottom cover is connected with a bottom of the outer shell and has apair of drain holes formed through the bottom cover.

The valve stem is rotatable mounted in the outer shell. A top end of thevalve stem is located inside of the outer shell and a bottom end islocated outside the outer shell.

The movable valve plate has a top side of the movable valve platesecurely connected with the bottom end of the valve stem inside theouter shell.

The fixed valve plate is connected with a bottom side of the movablevalve plate and has a pair of water channels formed through the fixedvalve plate corresponding to the pair of drain holes of the bottomcover. The pair of water channels is conic, and a cross-sectional areaof a bottom opening of each water channel adjacent to the bottom coveris greater than a cross-sectional area of a top opening of the waterchannel adjacent to the movable valve plate.

Preferably, the movable valve plate has two recesses oppositely formedin a peripheral wall and adjacent to the valve stem, and the valve stemhas two protrusions formed on and protruding from the bottom end of thevalve stem and respectively engaging the recesses.

Preferably, the outer shell has two through holes oppositely formedthrough the outer shell, and the bottom cover has two bumps formed on aperipheral surface thereof and respectively engaging the two throughholes on the outer shell.

Preferably, each bump has two inclined surfaces, and an included anglebetween the inclined surface of each bump proximate to the movable valveplate and the peripheral surface of the bottom cover is greater than anincluded angle between the inclined plane of the bump distal to themovable valve plate and the peripheral surface of the bottom cover.

According to the foregoing description, the present invention has theadvantages that the fixed valve core of the faucet valve core is conicin shape. The conic design increases the flow rate of the faucet valvecore without trading off the size of the faucet valve core because thediameter can be limited under 18.5 mm.

Additionally, water flows in and exits from the bottom of the faucetvalve core, the problem of part of the faucet valve being larger indiameter can be resolved, thereby reducing the size of the whole faucetvalve core and materials and costs in production.

Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed descriptions given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed descriptions and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the present inventionwill become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description of the drawings particularly refers to theaccompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a faucet valve core inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom cover of the faucet valve corein FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fixed valve plate of the faucet valvein FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the purpose, construction, features, functionsand advantages of the present invention can be appreciated andunderstood more thoroughly through the following detailed descriptionwith reference to the attached drawings.

A faucet valve core includes an outer shell 1, a bottom cover 2, a valvestem 3, a movable valve plate 4, a fixed valve plate 5, and a collarseal 6. The bottom cover 2 is connected with a bottom of the outer shell1. The valve stem 3 is rotatable mounted in the outer shell 1, and a topend of valve stem 3 is located inside of the outer shell 1 and a bottomend is located outside the outer shell 1. The end of the valve stem 3inside the outer shell 1 is securely connected with a top side of themovable valve plate 4, a bottom side of the movable valve plate 4 isconnected with the fixed valve plate 5.

The fixed valve plate 5 has a pair of water channels 51 formed throughthe fixed valve plate 5. The bottom cover 2 has a pair of drain holes 21formed through the bottom cover 2 and corresponding to the pair of waterchannels 51 on the fixed valve plate 5.

The pair of water channels 51 takes the form of a cone, Across-sectional area of a bottom opening of each water channel 51adjacent to the bottom cover 2 is greater than a cross-sectional area ofa top opening of the water channel 51 adjacent to the movable valveplate 4.

The movable valve plate 4 has two recesses 41 oppositely formed in aprotrusion 31 and adjacent to the valve stem 3.

The valve stem 3 has two protrusions 31 formed on and protruding fromthe bottom end of the valve stem 3 and respectively engaging therecesses 41.

The outer shell 1 has two through holes 11 oppositely formed through theouter shell 1. The bottom cover 2 has two bumps 23 formed on aperipheral surface thereof and respectively engaging the two throughholes 11 on the outer shell 1.

Each bump 23 has two inclined surfaces 22. An included angle between theinclined surface 22 of each bump 23 proximate to the fixed valve plate 5and the peripheral surface of the bottom cover 2 is greater than theinclined plane 22 of the bump 23 distal to the fixed valve plate 5, suchthat the bumps 23 can easily and firmly engage the respective throughholes 11 of the outer shell 1 upon the assembly of the faucet valve corestructure.

When in use, the collar seal 6 is mounted between the fixed valve plate5 and the bottom cover 2.

What is claimed is:
 1. A faucet valve core structure comprising: anouter shell; a bottom cover connected with a bottom of the outer shelland having a pair of drain holes formed through the bottom cover; avalve stem rotatable mounted in the outer shell, wherein a top end ofthe valve stem is located inside of the outer shell and a bottom end islocated outside the outer shell; a movable valve plate has a top side ofthe movable valve plate securely connected with the end of the valvestem inside the outer shell; and a fixed valve plate connected with abottom side of the movable valve plate and having a pair of waterchannels formed through the fixed valve plate corresponding to the pairof drain holes of the bottom cover, wherein the pair of water channelsis conic, and a cross-sectional area of a bottom opening of each waterchannel adjacent to the bottom cover is greater than a cross-sectionalarea of a top opening of the water channel adjacent to the movable valveplate.
 2. The faucet valve core structure as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe movable valve plate has two recesses oppositely formed in aperipheral wall and adjacent to the valve stem; and the valve stem hastwo protrusions formed on and protruding from the bottom end of thevalve stem and respectively engaging the recesses.
 3. The faucet valvecore structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer shell has twothrough holes oppositely formed through the outer shell, and the bottomcover has two bumps formed on a peripheral surface thereof andrespectively engaging the two through holes on the outer shell.
 4. Thefaucet valve core structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein each bump hastwo inclined surfaces, and an included angle between the inclinedsurface of each bump proximate to the fixed valve plate and theperipheral surface of the bottom cover is greater than an included anglebetween the inclined plane of the bump distal to the fixed valve plateand the peripheral surface of the bottom cover.